The invention relates to a cushioning and protecting kneeling pad assembly to be secured to a leg with fastening straps located only below the knee.
There are a great variety of both vocational and avocational activities in which a person is required to spend a lot of time in a kneeling position with most of the body weight supported on the knees, but with frequent movement to a crouching or standing position for required mobility. Movements of the person among these positions has historically presented problems of discomfort in the attachment of kneeling pad devices to the legs as well as frequent misadjustment of the kneeling pad devices requiring inordinate attention for readjustment. Kneeling pad devices typically have a cup-shaped portion covering the front, sides and top of the knee with plural straps to hold the kneeling pad to the leg. Walking movement after reaching an erect position from a kneeling position usually presents significant annoyance and/or discomfort due to interference between the knee and the cup-shaped portion as the leg repeatedly flexes at the knee. Most of the various prior art articulated knee protecting devices have failed to provide a simple relief of these problems without requiring some support between the knee pad and the leg at or above the location of the knee. Also, the components of prior art devices are typically sewn, riveted or otherwise secured together, thus precluding replacement of worn or damaged parts.
Various deficiencies of the prior art are overcome by achieving the following objects of this invention in accordance with the ensuing summary and detailed descriptions of various embodiments of the invention.
It is an object of the invention to provide a pad for protection of knees when kneeling which is readily attached and adjusted on the leg and which comprises a plurality of quick-detachable separable structural shaping and cushioning ventilated layers.
Another object of the invention is to provide a comfortable kneeling pad which encloses the front, sides and top of the knee to protect it from external forces and debris when the user is kneeling and crawling.
Another object of the invention is to provide an articulated kneeling pad assembly with a knee-protecting cup portion wherein the assembly is supported entirely by leg engaging fasteners located only below both the knee and the cup.
Another object of the invention is to provide an articulated kneeling pad assembly having an elongated lower spine or support member which is secured along the front of the shin of the user by appropriate fasteners with all other parts of the kneeling pad assembly supported from this lower spine.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an articulated kneeling pad assembly with a knee-protecting cup portion wherein the cup portion during use has a knee-conforming shape but wherein the cup portion is movable to a position spaced from the knee when the user stands erect and remains spaced from the knee to minimize discomfort or annoyance during standing or walking.
A further object of the invention is to provide a kneeling pad assembly wherein the knee-protecting cup portion comprises an upper spine or support member connected just below the knee by an articulated connecting joint to the upper end of the elongated lower spine support member.
Another object of the invention is to provide between the upper and lower spine members an articulated hinged connecting joint structure having a hinge axis extending transversely across the upper end of the elongated lower spine support member in front of the user""s shin.
Another object of the invention is to provide two selectable adjusted positions of the upper spine member relative to the lower spine member, a first position in which the kneecup engages the knee and a second position in which the kneecup is spaced from and out of contact with the knee.
Another object of the invention is to provide cooperating abutment surfaces on the upper and lower spine members which collide to restrict the movement of the upper spine member relative to the lower spine member to the range between the first and second positions.
A still further object of the invention is to provide cooperating detent surfaces on the upper and lower spine members whereby the upper spine member moves relative to the lower spine member to each of the first and second positions with a snap action to normally retain the upper spine member in such a respective position.
An object of the invention is to have a kneecup configuration whereby, upon rising from kneeling to standing positions, the rim of the cup is pushed by the upper leg of the user to move the kneecup from its first to its second position. However, if the user moves from kneeling to a sitting position on a stool or the like, the user can manually flip the upper spine member to its second position if desired. When moving to a kneeling position contact of the upper spine structure with the floor or other kneeling surface will assure that the upper spine will be in its first position with the kneecup in contact with and cushioning and protecting the knee.
In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention the kneeling pad assembly has a resiliently biased pad on an upper spine which is constructed to move away from the knee toward a spaced relationship with the knee when kneeling pressure on the pad is reduced upon raising the knee from its kneeling position. This biasing of the pad may be achieved by adding a biasing spring in the hinged joint between the upper and lower spine members.
Another alternative way of achieving this biasing force on the pad is to have the upper and lower spine members integrally molded in their angled relative positions with the molded angled connection self-biasing the pad toward a spaced position spaced from the knee when the user is not kneeling, the pad being retained in its other extreme position by a detent structure.
A further alternative way of achieving a self-biasing force on the pad is to have the upper and lower spine members integrally molded in collinear relative positions with the molded connection biasing the pad toward the knee, the pad being retained in its other extreme position by a detent structure.
In both the snap acting and the resiliently biased embodiments the upper spine member has a stable position corresponding to a position in which the spine holds the kneecup and pad spaced from the knee. In the snap acting version of the invention the detent configuration provides a bistable arrangement wherein the upper spine is pushed to or from each of the bistable positions where it is retained by respective detent structures.